Praise for Saina & Sindhu

OUR BUREAU

Calcutta: China’s chief coach Li Yongbo admitted on Friday that India have made huge progress in the last few years in badminton, but added that they still had a long way to go to make an impact in events like the Thomas and Uber Cup.

He, however, insisted that India were one of the few teams who have started to challenge traditional superpowers like China, Malaysia and Indonesia.

“India have good players in Saina (Nehwal) and (PV) Sindhu. They are capable of beating anyone. India have come a long way. But they will take some time before they can be at par with China,” Yongbo said in New Delhi, ahead of the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, to be held at the Siri Fort Sports complex, from Sunday.

“Countries like China, Korea, Denmark, Indonesia and Malaysia were the traditional powerhouses in badminton. But now India, Japan and Thailand are emerging in a big way,” Yongbo said.